My Father's Dragon

I get bored of movies quite easily nowadays. I think Disney tries too hard sometimes. Watching this movie was rather delightful and exciting, as I didn't know much about the story it was based on in the first place. I like how MFD doesn't incorporate the usual computer-based style of animation, and the voice actors for the film's characters were well-chosen. Of course, both of the main characters were darn lovable! The minimal use of music kept audiences engaged on the central plot and I liked that. I wanted to see more of the supporting characters! They were fun! Overall, I enjoyed My Father's Dragon, would watch it again, and hope it wins some awards!

An adult woman narrates and recounts her father Elmer's early childhood. Elmer Elevator and his single mom Dela ran a successful rural general store until a recession closes them down. They and many others move into the city. Dela tells Elmer that she dreams of opening another store, but in reality, she is struggling to pay for a roof over their heads. Elmer takes in a stray cat which results in his mother's anger. He runs away with the cat who turns out to talk. The cat tells him about a dragon who lives on a mystical island.

It's the awards winning Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. It would have been interesting if the dragon lives in the city. I can imagine something special, but they decided to go back to the fantasy world. The early section in the city has some heart-breaking intense scenes. In the end, I still like the fantasy world. It has all the charms. It is sweet and emotional. This is a great addition to this studio's catalogue.

Really enjoyed My Father's Dragon. A story of bravery with two likeable characters. Everyone is going to adore Boris the Dragon. He puts a smile on your face! Gaten Matarazzo is the perfect choice to voice him. Great talent behind the other voices as well from Jacob Tremblay, Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno and Ian McShane to name but a few.

Animation from Cartoon Saloon is always going to be special and this new film from Nora Twomey keeps with this tradition. Colours and textures are so lovely. Cartoon Saloon also never shy away from some intense scenes and some very young viewers might find this so. The story does feel a bit disjointed in places.

Overall a very enjoyable film with a fantastic score from Mychael and Jeff Danna.

My Father's Dragon may not reach the dazzling heights of Tomm Moore's Irish folklore trilogy, but this is a good movie to watch for younger children and may even entertain older viewers thanks to the gorgeous visuals. The story may be a bit to basic for some people, but it is still a worthwhile watch just for the visuals alone. I don't know why, but Nora Twomey's storytelling just doesn't work for me. I feel like she doesn't do a good job at producing book-to-film adaptations. Maybe she should try writing her own stories instead of adapting someone else's intellectual property and hard work into a different medium.

My children love this book. We were so excited to find that Netflix had taken on turning this classic Children's book into a feature film. We watched the movie for our family movie night the same night that it premiered in the States. This Netflix "adaptation" is NOT My Father's Dragon and is nothing like the book. The magical elements of the book and endearing characters were either left out or totally altered, making this film much more The Neverending Story (even with a giant Morla-like turtle). If you have never read My Father's Dragon, you may find this film somewhat enjoyable. If you are a fan of the book, you may not make it through the whole film. Nice try Netflix, but you really disappointed my children with this one.